I found Liz’s Steve Madden sneakers recommendation over at the ever-helpful Facebook Hallux Rigidus Support Group moderated by Kristi Ferguson. I reached out to her to see if she’d be willing to share her review with the Barking Dog community. She said yes, so here it is. Enjoy!
Hi! I’m Liz – a florist at the Sweetbay shop, entrepreneur and mom of two young kids. My daily routine involves countless hours on my feet from lugging heavy buckets full of water, to standing in place designing for hours at a time.
I’ve had Hallux Rigidus for a good 15 years now and have been through all the ups and downs of shoe styles for this painful condition. I have very
little mobility in both my big toes with large red bones spurs on top of
my feet. They are quite pronounced and painful to look at.
Style is hugely important to me and I was on the lookout for a metallic
sneaker that felt chic and of course comfortable. Luckily, I stumbled
upon Steve Madden’s “Momentum!”
It was love at first sight. The working Velcro straps are perfect for
adjusting width to accommodate a bone spur in the front, but also make
the shoe snug enough for those that have a narrow foot. I actually like
that I can tighten the straps to really hug my foot. I ordered my larger
shoe size ( 11 ) in hopes that it will allow for some more extra width.
I will share that these are a more flexible sole – I actually can
tolerate that well as long as the upper is not pressing down on the toe
box. If you require a stiff, rocker sole I wouldn’t recommend this
sneaker. These are cushy, support my feet, knees and back for a long
8-10 hours standing on my feet. I can wear my Momentums to an event
installation carting back and up and down ladders and feel comfortable
and stylish (I think they would even look cute with a dress or skirt).
This shoe is available in medium width only, but with the Velcro
closures I find the width flexible.
As an aside, I cannot wear the same shoe two days in a row. My feet and toes overcompensate for the hallux rigidus issues and I find that I need to rotate shoes constantly to change it up or else I develop a muscle strain in my feet. It’s a constant struggle!
Find a pair of Steve Madden Momentum sneakers in sizes 5.5-11 for $75 from Zappos, Amazon and Steve Madden.
